Back to Kentucky and Bundled Rights

Changing the Game ◽

10.5810/kentucky/9780813179551.003.0009 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 126-139

Author(s):

Jim Host ◽

Eric A. Moyen

Keyword(s):

Intercollegiate Athletics ◽

Sports Marketing ◽

Athletic Director ◽

University Of Kentucky ◽

Men's Basketball ◽

University Of Texas ◽

Standard Template ◽

The University ◽

Corporate Partnerships ◽

Corporate Sponsors

While Host expanded corporate partnerships with the NCAA, he also obtained control of the marketing rights for multiple universities. In addition to the University of Texas, HCI began to work with Purdue, Florida State, Notre Dame, and other schools. While HCI expanded nationally, Host also won back the broadcasting and media rights to University of Kentucky (UK) sports. This time, Host took what he had learned with the NCAA and other universities and introduced a new innovation in intercollegiate athletics: bundled rights. Corporate sponsors signed up to be official partners with UK, and the deals included advertising across print, radio, and television markets. The bundled rights model became the standard template for individual universities and their sports marketing programs. At UK, Host and athletic director CM Newton brought in Rick Pitino as the new head men’s basketball coach, after PJ Carlesimo turned down the position. Pitino resurrected the basketball program and helped prove that the bundled rights model worked. Host Communications then looked to replicate the model at other universities.

Download Full-text

Changing the Game

10.5810/kentucky/9780813179551.001.0001 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jim Host ◽

Eric A. Moyen

Keyword(s):

Public Information ◽

Sports Marketing ◽

College Sports ◽

University Of Kentucky ◽

Southeastern Conference ◽

Men's Basketball ◽

High Profile ◽

Southwest Conference ◽

The University ◽

Network Broadcasting

Changing the Game is the memoir of Jim Host, a pioneer in college sports marketing. After attending the University of Kentucky, Host spent a few years in business before accepting a position as commissioner of public information in Governor Louie Nunn’s cabinet in 1967. After an unsuccessful bid for lieutenant governor in 1971, Host founded what would eventually become Host Communications Incorporated (HCI). HCI engaged in association management before entering the far more high-profile field of college sports marketing when it gained the radio rights to University of Kentucky athletics. Host then developed the NCAA Radio Network, broadcasting games for the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament. Before long, HCI had developed radio networks and marketing strategies for the Southwest Conference (SWC) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Host began to bid on college media rights, ultimately partnering with more than thirty universities. He created the concept of “bundled rights” at the university level, whereby corporations became “official” sponsors of college athletic programs across a spectrum of media formats. In the early 1980s Host convinced NCAA executive director Walter Byers to sell corporate sponsorships for the NCAA basketball tournament. This innovation dramatically increased revenue for the NCAA and increased the popularity of the tournament. In Kentucky, Host was involved with the construction of Rupp Arena, the Kentucky Horse Park, and the KFC Yum! Center. He played a key role in bringing the Alltech World Equestrian Games to Kentucky in 2010.

Download Full-text

The NCAA and Corporate Sponsorships

Changing the Game ◽

10.5810/kentucky/9780813179551.003.0008 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 113-125

Author(s):

Jim Host ◽

Eric A. Moyen

Keyword(s):

Intercollegiate Athletics ◽

Executive Director ◽

Women's Athletics ◽

Men's Basketball ◽

Corporate Sponsors ◽

Pizza Hut ◽

American Airlines

The Supreme Court’s decision in the Regents case meant that the NCAA lost control of the broadcast rights for NCAA football. Looking for ways to make up the lost revenue, NCAA executive director Walter Byers agreed to allow Host to sell corporate sponsors for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Gillette was the first company to sign on, followed by Valvoline. Before long, major corporations were spending millions of dollars to use the NCAA and Final Four logos to promote their products. David Novak’s Pizza Hut promotion proved to be the most successful of all. Other sponsorships included Hyatt, Kodak, Oldsmobile, Rawlings, and American Airlines. With millions of dollars of revenue coming from corporate sponsors, the NCAA’s new executive director Dick Schultz was looking for a way to promote women’s athletics. Host pitched the idea of a primary sponsor for women’s athletics, and Sara Lee CEO Paul Fulton agreed to join the cause. Sara Lee’s sponsorship helped expand the appeal of women’s intercollegiate athletics, and corporate sponsorships changed the fortunes of the NCAA and Host Communications Inc.

Download Full-text

Working in an Ever-Changing Environment

Changing the Game ◽

10.5810/kentucky/9780813179551.003.0007 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 95-112

Author(s):

Jim Host ◽

Eric A. Moyen

Keyword(s):

Federal Government ◽

College Athletics ◽

Athletic Directors ◽

Supreme Court Decision ◽

University Of Kentucky ◽

Name Change ◽

University Of Texas ◽

Board Of Regents ◽

Southwest Conference ◽

The University

Host lost the broadcast rights for University of Kentucky sports in 1980, so he turned his attention to other ventures. He met with the athletic directors of the Southwest Conference (including Frank Broyles and Darrell Royal), and by the end of the meeting, they had asked Host’s company to operate the SWC Radio Network. The SWC Network was a resounding success, but Texas A&M football coach Jackie Sherrill led a successful campaign to end the network, allowing the larger universities in the conference to keep more broadcasting revenue. Host then signed a deal with athletic director DeLoss Dodds to control the broadcast and media rights for the University of Texas, and he rapidly expanded the commercial appeal of Texas athletics. Host continued to work with the NCAA and the NTBA. The NCAA struggled for control of college athletics with the College Football Association, which resulted in the 1984 Supreme Court decision in NCAA v. Board of Regents. The NTBA faced deregulation by the federal government, which resulted in a name change to the National Tour Association, larger membership in the organization, and increased revenue.

Download Full-text